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Los Angeles Review of Books

Books are the carriers of civilization. Thoreau had that right. If our ideas are the best of us, and books capture our best thoughts, how could we ever live without them? Unlike the dystopian vision of “Fahrenheit 451,” in which books are illegal -- the future of reading and ideas need not be so grim.

What is being done at the Los Angeles Review of Books is renegade. The fish swimming upstream. A perfect example of disruptive innovation in a floundering industry.

“I was introduced to literary culture by the New York Times Book Review, and one of the reasons I started this is because I was watching the Sunday supplement book reviews die around the country -- the Los Angeles Times Book Review was folded into the Arts section, the Atlanta paper, the Seattle paper, the San Francisco papers, the Boston paper --- one after another, they all folded,” said Tom Lutz, founder of the Los Angeles Review of Books.

“I want kids to have the opportunity to be exposed to literature the way I was.”

Lutz, Professor of Creative Writing at the University of California Riverside, launched the Review himself three years ago.

He started by talking to various writers, many of them his friends -- asking them to be contributing editors. Everyone he spoke to was excited at the prospect. That initial list of people who were willing to lend their names, allowed his efforts to snowball -- some donors became involved, a Facebook page was created.

Now he has 18 section editors. The site has readers in 150 countries and all 50 states.

Exactly one year ago, they launched their website on Tumblr. But today the Review has launched its new website, designed by TedPerez.com in Venice, California.

More than a book review -- they are a cultural landing space that invites think pieces, essays, interviews, and videos. An amalgamation of ideas, and perhaps a gorgeous triptych here and there -- it’s the closest thing to walking through a modern, well-organized, physical, beautiful bookstore, without leaving your laptop.

You’ll find old favorites alongside genres you’ve never tried. Similar to a good bookstore -- the site allows for both curated recommendations and accidental discovery.

Contrary to popular thought, L.A. loves books. “Los Angeles is the largest book market in the country. We buy more books than New York,” said Lutz.